El Mañana. (Tomorrow)

This novel pays homage to Juana Azurduy, a woman who in the 19th century, and against all odds, commanded a battalion and fought against Spain for the independence of what is now Bolivia. The novel is partially narrated by Elisa Algarañaz, who, along with 17 other female writers has been put under house arrest. (The exact reason for their arrest is unknown, but it has to do with their books. During her house arrest, Elisa tries to write the story of the writers' capture, but every week someone deletes all the files in her computer. One day, Ómer, a long-lost friend from Israel, is able to break into her house. Ómer and Esteban, an Argentinean computer hacker, have a plan to free the writers. While they work out the plan, Ómer encourages Elisa to write about Juana Azurduy, whom Elisa had been researching for years. And so unfold the stories of these two women fighting for freedom. Though she must change her whole identity, the writer escapes, a liberating experience that frees her to investigate the treason for her arrest. Valenzuela uses rich and poetic language to explore the themes of solitude, freedom, the art of writing, and the female nature, and the narrator's reflections about the creative process provide insight into Valenzuela's own attitude toward writing. The pace of the novel, however, is a bit slow. Recommended for all bookstores and libraries with literary collections.—María Elena Cruz, Boston